Road Trip
by Meril Gamgee
Summary: Merry, Estella and their two children decide to go on a road trip to Rohan and Gondor. Will Merry arrive with his sanity intact? Prototype


A/N: Hi! This is just a prototype for a story I've had in my head for a little while. I'd like to see what you guys think of it and whether I should continue. Enjoy!

The Halls of Buckland, 1442 Shire Reckoning, 21 Fourth Age.

The young hobbit lass raced around the house, giggling, daring her older brother to chase her.

'Catch me, Cary!' 

She ran at frightening speed through the endless halls. Her mother was in the kitchen preparing lunch.

'Be careful!' she yelled exasperatedly. She loved her children, but how they tired her out!

The hobbit lass ran still, occasionally checking to make sure her brother was still in pursuit. Not looking where she was going, an outstretched hand clipped a vase on a table and knocked it off, sending it crashing to the terracotta-tiled floor.

'Éowyn Brandybuck!' 

Estella came out of the kitchen and looked to the floor in horror.

'My vase!'

Caradoc, Éowyn's twelve year old brother, took a step forward to protest his innocence, but cried out in pain. He had stood on a shard of the broken vase. Estella inwardly sighed and carefully made her way over to pick her son up and take the glass out of his foot. She said nothing, but gave Éowyn a withering glare. Éowyn was only ten and she burst into tears. Just then, Merry walked in the door and saw his crying daughter.

'Wyn,' he said, kneeling on the floor, 'what happened?'

'I broke the vase, and now Mummy's angry with me,' she tearfully responded.

Merry picked up his daughter and placed her out of harm's way as he left to get a broom. He whispered a secret in her ear.

'I never liked that vase anyway.'

Éowyn giggled, and Merry smiled at her. He carefully swept up the shards, wrapping them in paper and safely disposing of them.

'There, all better. Don't worry, Wyn. Mummy's not angry with you. It's not your fault.'

'But Cary hurt himself. He stepped on some glass.'

'That was an accident. Come on, Wyn, Cary's all right.'

Éowyn nodded and took her father's hand. Caradoc was sitting with his foot up in the adjoining room, a small plaster over the place where the glass was stuck. He was fine, the piece was tiny.

'He's all right, see?' Merry said. Éowyn looked a little relieved.

'Merry.' Estella was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, clearly wanting to talk to him. Merry sat Éowyn next to her brother, and then walked over, out of the earshot of the curious little hobbits.

'What's wrong?' Merry asked.

Estella sighed. 'Éowyn.'

'Aw, Stel. She's just a baby, she didn't mean any harm. I was a lot worse when I was her age. I can't remember how many times my dad threatened to throw me into the river in a sack.'

'I know, but… my mother gave us that vase upon our marriage, and it meant a lot to me.'

'I know, Stel.' Merry was inwardly relieved. He daren't let Estella or Mrs Bolger know how much he hated it. Éowyn did him a favour. Merry placed his hands upon his wife's shoulders and rubbed them gently.

'Cheer up. This trip will do them the world of good,' he reassured her. 'They'll be fascinated by so many new things that they won't have any time for mischief. And I'm sure there'll be lots of playmates for them in the cities. I want them to see Edoras. I want Éowyn to meet the princess, whom I love no less than her uncle, the King I served. I would love to see Arwen Evenstar again, to see if she is as beautiful as I remember her. I would love to sit again in the Golden Hall, and to smell the flowers of Ithilien.'

'But, Merry, would they be old enough to appreciate it?'

'Even if they aren't, they can always go again. We'll be fine, Pip and Di will be with us to keep our sanity. And Farry can keep them company on the road. Remember, Sam, Rosie and Elly are on their way to Gondor, they'll meet us there.' Merry smiled and shook his head. 'I hope the baby decides not to come until Minas Tirith.' Estella smiled.

'That's the spirit,' Merry said. 'I just hope they won't drive us mad all the way to Gondor.'

The most excited of the two faces listening at the door couldn't help themselves.

'Where's Gondor?' asked Éowyn excitedly.

Merry sighed, then smiled. 'It's a very faraway place, and there are people I love dearly, almost as much as you three, who live there. Don't you remember Uncle Sam and Auntie Rosie left to go there a couple of weeks ago?'

Éowyn nodded. Two of Sam's twelve children, Frodo and Rose, were staying with Merry's cousin Berilac nearby and Éowyn and Caradoc had spent a lot of time with them, even though both Frodo and Rose were nearly tweens.

'Well,' Merry continued. 'Your mother and I, plus Uncle Pippin and Auntie Diamond, decided that it would be good if we went as well.'

'Will Faramir come?' asked Caradoc. He and Faramir Took were the same age and they had a very close bond, much like their fathers before them.

Merry nodded. 'We were trying to keep it secret, but how can we keep anything secret with you two.' He grinned.

'When are we leaving?' Éowyn looked as if she was ready to leave right at that moment. Merry laughed.

'Calm down, my dearest! We're not leaving yet. We have a lot of things to do before we go. I'm afraid your poor cousin Berry will get most of my work put onto him. We'll leave in about a week.'

'How long will we be gone for?' Caradoc looked as excited as Éowyn.

'You lot ask a lot of questions, don't you? It's a very long way so we'll be away for some time. The best part of a year.'

Caradoc opened his mouth to ask one more question but Estella silenced him.

'All right, all right, that's enough. You two go find Frodo and Rosie and bring them back for lunch.'

Éowyn nodded. 'Yes, Mummy.' She promptly ran for the front door of their smial, Caradoc following.

'No running!' Estella called futilely. She sat down at the kitchen table with Merry and looked at him.

'Mer, what are we getting ourselves into? Whose grand idea was this?'

'Pippin's, actually.' He sighed. 'I'm not sure this was such a good idea. But we can't back out now they know. It'll break their hearts.'

'I know.' Estella brightened. 'Ah well. I suppose what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.'

'That's true.' Merry seemed quiet and contemplative. Estella knew what he was thinking about. Éowyn. Not their daughter, but the Lady she was named for.

Merry never really talked about her, but Estella knew that she was precious to him and that he loved her very much. Maybe the same or even more than her. _No, don't be silly._

Estella knew of her great deed, the slaying of the Witch-king, but Merry never said anything of his part in the matter. Estella didn't even know until their daughter's birth, where Pippin filled her in. Merry shrugged it off as nothing. It was a small repayment of his debt to Éowyn for helping him. Naming his daughter after her was another small repayment. Estella wasn't jealous of Princess Éowyn, as she is now. She was intrigued by her, and she very much wanted to meet the woman who had changed Merry's life so much. Éowyn was planning to come, as she wrote to Merry, before King Elessar's decree of no man being able to enter the Shire. Unfortunately, Éowyn could no longer use her 'I am no man' excuse.

Estella looked at Merry with a smile. 'I think this will turn out all right after all.'

'Ah, no longer doubting me?'

'I never did,' she grinned.

Merry laughed. 'Liar. But I still love you.' He gave her a quick kiss, as the door had opened and four hobbit children came tumbling in, stomachs equally boisterous. Frodo and Rose both were very eager to eat. Merry surveyed Rose's torn pink dress and Frodo's tattered shirt with interest.

'What is it, Uncle Merry?' Rose asked.

'Been down the Marish, have we?'

The brother and sister looked at each other with embarrassed faces. Merry laughed.

'It's all right, I won't tell your dad. You two are pictures of sweetness and light compared to me and Pippin at your age. Don't you remember, going down to steal some carrots was how we got into this mess!'

Rose and Frodo smiled, Gamgees through and through, although of course their right name was Gardner. Merry still called them Gamgee, as he thought it was a fine enough name already. They knew pretty much the whole of the story of the Lord of the Rings, laid down by Frodo's namesake before he left for Valinor, which their father had read to them when they were old enough. However, Merry's children knew very little of it, Merry deeming them not ready to cope with it. Éowyn looked up at Merry.

'What mess, Daddy?'

'Never mind, Wyn. I'll tell you when you're older.'

Éowyn didn't have time to argue as a very tasty-looking sandwich was placed in front of her by her mother. The children tore into their meals with astonishing speed. Estella was a bit alarmed.

'Slow down, you'll be sick!'

'They'll be fine, Stel. Never did me any harm,' Merry intervened.

Estella looked him up and down. 'I can tell.'

Merry smiled and tucked into his sandwich, which the children were near finishing. He was going to miss the quiet Shire life while he was away. He just hoped he would arrive in Edoras with both body and mind intact. 


End file.
